The first day to complete the 2020 Federal Census online is tomorrow. The website to complete the census is my2020census.gov.
According to the Illinois Department of Human Services, The online questionnaire is the quickest and easiest way to get counted in Illinois and can be accessed from a smart phone, tablet, laptop,computer and terminals at local libraries. The census is nine questions long and will take less than 10 minutes to complete.
Local and state officials are hoping for an accurate count for the state to ensure the State receives the funding needed to properly care for its residents and provide critical services and programs that are made available through the allocation of federal funding based off of census tracks. According to IDHS, the state received over $19 billion dollars in federal funding for 16 programs administered in the state. IDHS says that a 1% under count of the census could cost the state $19 million dollars a year over the next decade. State officials are also concerned about the loss of one and possibly two House of Representative seats and electoral college votes if the census comes in lower than expected.
In June, Governor Pritzker signed an executive order that established the Census Office within IDHS and an advisory panel to guide public outreach. The $29 million approved for 2020 Census efforts in Illinois is the largest per capita investment of any state in the nation this year, and is funded through the bipartisan FY20 budget. IDHS has already awarded $20 million dollars in grants to over 350 local and community organizations to get an accurate census count.